What was originally scheduled on the calendar as a practice turned into a video session and maintenance day this afternoon at Honda Center.

The Ducks traveled from Dallas late last night, and head coach Bruce Boudreau said it was time to give the guys a break from on-ice work.

“We haven’t been off the ice at all since the playoffs started, and before,” he said. “We’ve had one day off in two weeks. We had 42 hits last night. Sometimes your body is a little sorer when you wake up the next morning. You get a good massage or hot tub, and then get out the kinks with a bike ride. There’s no need to go out on the ice.”

Regarding Ryan Getzlaf’s availability for tomorrow’s Game 5, Boudreau would only say “it’s up in the air” at the moment. Getzlaf missed yesterday’s game with an upper-body injury.

“He’s hoping to play, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’s going to play,” Boudreau said. “It’s a day-to-day thing.”

His presence was missed last night, especially on the power play, where the Ducks failed to convert on three opportunities. Getzlaf spoke with media today and said missing a postseason game was something he's never experienced before.

“I don’t think I’ve ever missed a playoff game in my career,” he said. “That was a tough thing to watch the other night and not be a part of.”

GAME 5 STARTER
Jonas Hiller saw 10 minutes of action last night coming on in relief of Frederik Andersen in the team’s 4-2 loss at Dallas. As of right now, tomorrow’s starter remains a mystery, but Boudreau said it was a benefit for Hiller to see postseason playing time.

“It was important he played,” said Boudreau. “Whether he’s going to start tomorrow, it was important that he’s already seen playoff ice, and not coming in blind.”

Hiller faced one shot in 10:34 last night. “It was nice to be out there again and seeing some game action,” he said. “I felt pretty good. There weren’t too many shots or anything, but in the end, it was nice being in net again.

“All I can do is what I’ve done the last two weeks, and that’s being ready if I get the call. We’ll go from there.”

BELESKEY UPDATE
Matt Beleskey’s lower-body injury has kept him out of the lineup since his multi-point performance in Game 1 of this series. There is optimism that the gritty winger will dress for Game 6 on Sunday at American Airlines Center.

“He’s getting better,” said Boudreau. “I’d venture to guess he’s not probable tomorrow, but we’re looking at Sunday for him being able to play.”

Boudreau says Beleskey matched up well with Dallas’ skill and speed. “He’s a physical player who can play. The one thing that Dallas has is a lot of guys who can skate, and Matty can skate. It’s a big blow to us. Then again, every team has the same sort of issue, so who are we to cry worse than somebody else.”

SELANNE ON NOT PLAYING GAME 4
Teemu Selanne was a healthy scratch for last night’s Game 4, and expressed his disappointment yesterday afternoon after he found out from coach Bruce Boudreau. A day later, he was ready to move on from it.

“It’s over. I don’t even want to talk about the whole thing,” Selanne said. “I told Bruce it’s a new day, the series starts now. There are no hard feelings.

“It’s playoff time, and I don’t even want to think of any negative energy. Tomorrow is a big day, and we go from there.”